Happenings: International Education Month 2012

Learn to go global during International Education Month

Students from the International Studies Association hosted a multicultural food fair on campus.

By Andrew Osegi

Here at Texas State University, November is an exciting month. Not only are students looking forward to heading home for Thanksgiving break, but they also have an opportunity to engage with different cultures from around the world during International Education Month.

Similar to the federally sponsored International Education Week (held Nov. 12-16), International Education Month aims to connect diverse members of the Texas State community by educating students about the global nature of the world in which we live and work.

Today’s world is a vibrant melting pot of cultures. As a higher education institution, Texas State hopes to crumble the walls of preconceived stereotypes that hinder the exchange of ideas, and at the same time build bridges of discovery and tolerance that connect different ways of life found on and off campus.

Offices such as the Center for International Studies, Study Abroad and the International Office at Texas State foster international education by providing services and insightful information to students on what it means to learn in and about a foreign country. They do their part to illustrate and promote cultural diversity on campus and beyond.

International Education Month at Texas State will examine the university’s Common Experience, “A Global Odyssey: Exploring Our Connections to the Changing World,” by hosting cultural events around the Texas State campus. Examples include festival celebrations and informational workshops covering international scholarships and study abroad opportunities. Students are encouraged to attend these events so they can make connections with cultures different from their own.

This is an example of a lighting arrangement typically associated with Diwali, a “festival of lights” celebrated in India and on the Texas State campus.

Shelly Alfaro, president of the International Studies Club, gets together with her fellow club members on a weekly basis at their meetings.

“Our club is open to anyone who has an interest in world matters, cultures or traveling,” says Alfaro. “I like to consider the International Studies Club as a powerful resource. We keep students informed of scholarship and internship deadlines; promote study abroad programs and careers; and we discuss news involving foreign relations.”

The International Studies Club invites international students to their events to show what college students in the United States do for fun. Alfaro says her club stands for diversity and open-mindedness, in keeping with the mission of International Education Month at Texas State.